Color products are in fashion in the electronics world, and particularly in a display device and a printer, color products have spread. Under such a background, a device which can easily provide various color representation at a low price is desired.
FIG. 28 shows an example of a setting window of a conventional image output device. When "type of modification pattern", for example, is selected on the setting window, a setting window of FIG. 29 appears on a screen. Moreover, "coloring type of character" is selected, a setting window of FIG. 30 appears on the screen, and when "typeface" is selected, a setting window of FIG. 31 appears on the screen. Furthermore, when "character spacing" is selected, a setting window of FIG. 32 appears on the screen.
Therefore, for such outputs of color representation, an operator needs to specify colors of a background and a character, typeface, and a starting color of a gradation or rainbow representation, which is troublesome to the operator to specify a lot of items. Moreover, since colors of a character and a background, a typeface, etc. are specified independently, it requires high technical skill to combine these items based upon a certain image. Therefore, it is difficult to create a desired representation that one imagined.
In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-113962/1990 (Tokukaihei 2-113962) discloses an image recording device which records an image of a color changing pattern, such as gradation by an operation in a recording device side. In accordance with this arrangement, in the case where data of a relational expression of the color changing pattern are inputted from an external apparatus to a memory of the image recording device, only the data of the relational expression may be inputted to software installed to the external apparatus. However, the image recording device cannot display character data as an image with colors. Moreover, the above Publication does not disclose contents of operations in the image recording device side, so it is impossible to judge easiness of the operation.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-279980/1992 (Tokukaihei 4-279980) discloses an image editing device which detects operation pressure at the time of inputting a coordinate and controls color information, such as brightness of a color to be used for editing, according to the pressure. In accordance with this arrangement, natural drawing can easily controlled. However, in the above image editing device, since its drawing touch depends upon capabilities of a coordinate input unit, such as a stylus pen, and of a pressure sensor, a very heavy burden on the pressure sensor is required for fine representation, thereby having little practical use.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 56-46082/1981 (Tokukosho 56-46082) discloses a color image scale which adjusts colors using a degree of an image as a standard and arranges the colors in a three-dimensional coordinate so as to position the colors. In accordance with this arrangement, a language can be equivalently converted into color which is imagined from the language. However, the color image scale is useful for application of data, but an image pattern of single color, a color arrangement, a typeface, etc., which is obtained by converting an image from one language, is of only one type. Therefore, a language has only a fixed image, and thus it is impossible to provide the other representation.
A technique for representing characters and illustrations with an intermediate color, multi-colors, etc. is known for various color representation. In order to realize representation with an intermediate color, multi-colors, etc., a method for outputting binary data or a method for outputting multi-valued data is used. The former method obtains target representation by developing each information on unit area using a dither method or an error diffusion method. The latter method develops target representation as a plurality of gradation maps. In the case of color representation, since in both the methods, control can be easily exercised by managing colors on one color table, the color table management is generally adopted to both the methods.
The method for outputting binary data has a problem of color correction, but the method of solving this problem is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-198895/1987 (Tokukaisho 62-198895). An intermediate color processing device disclosed in the above Publication is arranged so that a dot pattern corresponding to a display pattern is set and stored in a storage device, and the dot pattern is used according to a color mixing ratio. As a result, the intermediate colored dot pattern without a striped pattern and spots is previously created and registered, thereby making it possible to display an intermediate color which does not have a striped pattern and unevenness on each unit area.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 5-258035/1993 (Tokukaihei 5-258035) discloses an image processing device which is capable of obtaining a desired mixed color when a plurality of colors to be mixed and its mixing ratio are specified in an input section.
As to input means, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-279980/1992 (Tokukaihei 4-279980) discloses a device which controls brightness of color, saturation of color, and hue according to tool force by a stylus pen, etc.
However, in prior arts, since a mixed color is created by using the display method and the input means which are peculiar to the information processing device, a user who is not accustomed to an operation of an electronic device needs advance skills when creating a mixed color. In other words, the prior arts have the following problems.
(1) A special knowledge of color display on an electronic device, such as specifying a color in RGB, is required. Moreover, an operation which is peculiar to an electronic device is required, and this operation is not actually connected to an operation for mixing colors in a picture. For example, when a mixed color is created, a color number should be inputted and a color should be specified from a matrix list. Moreover, in the case where brightness, saturation and hue of a mixed color are changed, a numerical value should be inputted and they should be changed by using a scroll bar.
(2) Since a result is displayed after the setting of color mixing conditions is completed, a lot of numbers of and a lot of time for feedbacks after the result is recognized are required.
(3) The created mixed color and a mixed color, or a mixed color and basic colors cannot be mixed.
(4) A mixed color cannot be created by mixing a pattern, which is color form, with a color.
(5) Since basic colors are displayed on a list or are inputted by a number of sample colors, it is difficult to select the basic colors, so the basic colors cannot be specified by a name of colors, a name of color tones.
(6) The created mixed color cannot be saved. In other words, the created mixed color cannot be called as the basic colors. Moreover, information other than color data cannot be added to the created mixed color and they cannot be saved.